The Production of Extracted-Honey 289 



Use of extracting combs smaller than brood-combs. 



An exception to the above statements concerning the 

 size of the hive and supers is to be found when unusually 

 deep brood-frames are used, when frames of Langstroth 

 depth are often used for extracting combs. Some beekeepers 

 also prefer to use shallow extracting frames, the length of 

 the Langstroth frames but 5| inches deep, to obviate the 

 lifting of such heavy supers as those of full Langstroth size. 

 The latter frames are advantageous for bulk comb-honey 

 production (p. 318). 



Number of supers. 



The character of the honey-flow will determine largely the 

 number of surplus bodies used and the method of taking off 

 the honey. In a slow honey-flow one surplus body is often 

 sufficient and as individual combs are filled and sealed they 

 are removed and the honey extracted. In a heavy honey-flow 

 more bodies should be given at one time so that there will be 

 room for ripening and storing the honey. In the latter case, 

 whole hive-bodies are frequently taken away at one time. 



Manipulation of the supers. 



To confine the queen to the lower hive-body and prevent 

 brood from being scattered throughout the hive, one of 

 two methods may be employed. If a queen excluder (Fig. 

 115) is used the queen is kept below, but many honey pro- 

 ducers object to these on the ground of expense and be- 

 cause they believe the workers are somewhat retarded by 

 them. If the new supers are always placed directly above 

 the brood-chamber and under the supers already on, there 

 is little likelihood of the queen going above. Under these 

 circumstances the order of the supers is practically the 

 same as in comb-honey production (p. 314). Bees prob- 

 ably begin work in new combs more quickly if they are 

 placed near the brood-chamber. In rapid honey-flows, 

 however, bees go readily to the very top of the hive for 

 empty cells without hesitation. 



